Tahylor Jezrinth

UP : Near Yew (All Shards)

    Fighters report a rampant increase in the amount of undead creatures near Yew these days. For the past few nights, the forest just east of the Yew Cemetery has been filled with dozens, possibly hundreds of zombies, ghosts, spectres, ghouls, and all manner of skeletons. As of late, the occasional lich has also forced its evil upon adventurers right in the heart of the areas most closely packed with warriors.

    The beasts one-on-one are not as much of a challenge, but the sheer number of them has caused many a fighter to turn back until friends and reinforcements arrive to help even the odds. The monsters seem to be spacing themselves out, and hiding behind trees in vast numbers to fool the headstrong warriors into underestimating their numbers.

    “I heard from the town criers that there were many undead in the forest,” said one unidentified warrior, “so I grabbed me bardiche and headed into the forest to cleave what’s left of those beast’s heads from their rotting shoulders. Lo and behold, I thought I would fell a ghoul or two and a zombie or three, when I noticed them coming at me from all sides! The best count I got was 7 spectres, 3 zombies, and a skeleton mage before I turned tail and ran back to the safety of the town guards. It was only after many more brave souls started showing up that I ventured back into the forest.”

    It has been only after many, many warriors arrived in the area, that the armies have been turned back. Town Cryer reporters have noticed that teamwork has been the key to success and survival for many fighters. New bonds of friendship have been quickly forged on the battlefield, as mage and warrior have worked together to overcome the evil.

    No explanation has been uncovered for these massive onslaughts, but your Town Cryer staff is working diligently to attempt to discover a reason for these huge attacks. In the meantime, adventurers are warned to be wary of the area around the Yew Cemetery and use their tracking abilities to carefully search the area if traveling alone. Group travel is highly encouraged around this area for the time being. And if you normally travel alone... make a friend. There are many good souls in the world who would be more than willing to work together and travel together for the extra protection that group travel provides.

    Your Town Cryer is working with the town criers to provide the earliest alert to large monster gatherings. When near a town crier, listen closely to see if they have any news of attacks. The town criers will alert the citizenry when sightings of unusual events take place.

From the Town Cryer - The Journal of Ultima Online, Monday, May 11th 1998